UFC 21
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | July 16, 1999 |
| Headquarters | Cedar Rapids, Iowa , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts competition |
UFC 21: Return of the Champions was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 16, 1999, held at the Five Seasons Events Center located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The event was broadcast live via pay-per-view across the United States and subsequently made available on home video.
History
Significant regulatory adjustments were introduced at UFC 21 following directives from the Council of the Mixed Martial Arts Commission. Preliminary matches were set to two rounds of five minutes each, main card fights consisted of three five-minute rounds, and title bouts extended to five five-minute rounds, establishing a format consistent with the modern Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. This event also marked the debut of the 10-point must system, adapted from boxing, for scoring contests. Under this system, judges assigned 10 points to the winner of each round, while the opponent received between 6 and 9 points based on criteria such as Octagon control, effective striking, grappling and submission attempts, as well as aggressiveness.
An announcement during the event revealed that UFC Middleweight Champion Frank Shamrock was scheduled to defend his championship against emerging contender Tito Ortiz at UFC 22.
Encyclopedia awards
The October 2011 publication UFC Encyclopedia honored these fighters:[1]
- Fight of the Night: Andre Roberts vs. Ron Waterman
- Knockout of the Night: Eugene Jackson
- Submission of the Night: Paul Jones
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Gerbasi, Thomas (2011-10-17). UFC Encyclopedia - The Definitive Guide to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. DK, New York. p. 174. ISBN 978-0756683610.